Top Job Search Portal - Best Resources and Information for Job SearchHow to Find Your New Job
Site Search

Home >> Careers & Education

Computer Systems Analyst Training and Jobs


Schools and Degrees

Given the technical nature of jobs , employers generally look for candidates with a bachelor’s degree in fields like computer science, applied mathematics, engineering, information science and physical sciences. Applicants with a degree in management information systems and with a master’s degree in business administration with a specialization in information systems are also given preference by employers.

Spotlight Schools Search

Zip?
Subject?
Degree?
Location?OnlineCampusBoth

Training and Education

Employees normally have a bachelor's degree before landing a job. Degrees are held by 68% of current computer systems analysts. Post-secondary schooling was enough for 25% of workers. Education topped out at high school for 7% of employees.


Job Overview

The job of computer systems analysts evolves fast as they incorporate the changes in technology and growing areas of specialization in the organization.


Job Requirements

Computer systems analysts need to have strong logical thinking abilities. They need to handle many different tasks at the same time and the ability to multitask is important. They also need to have an eye for detail. They usually work independently, but at times computer systems analysts may also need to work in teams, so it is important that they have good interpersonal and communication skills.

Expertise in the relevant area of work is an important requirement for the job. For instance, computer systems analysts who want to work for a hospital need to be proficient in health management. Likewise, those wishing to work in a bank need to have sufficient knowledge regarding finance.

Changes in technology happen very quickly and it is important for those related to this field to keep abreast with advances. Universities, colleges, employers, hardware and software vendors and private institutes offer opportunities for continuing education to help computer systems analysts update their skills.


Nature of Work

Computer systems analysts choose and configure hardware and software to develop and design new computer systems. They also find out ways and means to apply to additional jobs in the existing computer systems. Most computer systems analysts usually concentrate on working with particular types of computer systems like engineering or scientific systems, business and accounting. Some computer systems analysts help the organizations in developing computer systems while others help to choose the right system software.

Computer systems analysts usually work in offices. They have to work for about 40 hours in a week. If work demands, they may also work in the evenings and during weekends. Depending on their work, they may also need to telecommute and work with computers from far off locations. As with most people in other professions working with computers for long hours, computer systems analysts also suffer from eye problems, back pain and hand and wrist pain.


Area Job Conditions

You'll see a lot of computer systems analysts in Bloomington (Illinois), Huntsville (Alabama), and Durham (North Carolina), and comparatively fewer in New Bedford (Massachusetts), Houma (Louisiana), and Visalia (California).

Wages for Workers are highest in Manchester (New Hampshire), Bridgeport (Connecticut), and Lowell (Massachusetts), and lowest in Johnson City (Tennessee), Monroe (Louisiana), and Merced (California).


Part-Time and Self Employment

Part-time work suffices for 6% of computer systems analysts. Workers working on their own make up 6% of the total.


Computer Systems Analysts by Metropolitan Area (city and its surroundings)

In the table below, a Job Density near 0% means the area has an average number of people in this occupation, for its population. A higher or lower Job Density (e.g., +22% or -45%) tells you there are that many more or fewer workers of that type there than in the average US metro area. So, the higher the number, the more common the occupation.

Alabama

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Auburn $65,000 70 -57%
Birmingham $67,000 2,070 -4%
Decatur $60,000 30 -85%
Huntsville $75,000 2,860 +242%
Mobile $68,000 310 -58%
Montgomery $65,000 910 +34%
Tuscaloosa $66,000 110 -68%

Alaska

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Anchorage $71,000 250 -61%
Fairbanks $70,000 40 -65%

Arizona

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Flagstaff $74,000 120 -40%
Phoenix $89,000 6,310 -19%
Tucson $82,000 1,330 -12%

Arkansas

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Fayetteville $61,000 390 -51%
Fort Smith $43,000 110 -76%
Little Rock $62,000 1,490 +7%

California

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bakersfield $77,000 340 -69%
Chico $80,000 90 -65%
Fresno $67,000 370 -73%
Madera $59,000 40 -69%
Merced $46,000 30 -86%
Modesto $61,000 120 -82%
Napa $73,000 90 -62%
Oakland $86,000 3,830 -11%
Oxnard $90,000 730 -40%
Redding $58,000 80 -68%
Riverside $72,000 1,550 -71%
Sacramento $74,000 6,910 +87%
Salinas $89,000 320 -48%
San Diego $76,000 3,930 -30%
San Francisco $93,000 7,100 +70%
San Jose $89,000 8,960 +133%
San Luis Obispo $68,000 130 -66%
Santa Ana $77,000 4,270 -33%
Santa Barbara $72,000 380 -43%
Santa Cruz $77,000 160 -52%
Santa Rosa $81,000 400 -46%
Stockton $68,000 320 -63%
Vallejo $82,000 170 -64%
Visalia $64,000 40 -92%
Yuba City $60,000 50 -64%

Colorado

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Boulder $89,000 1,880 +194%
Colorado Springs $75,000 1,490 +46%
Denver $83,000 6,160 +18%
Fort Collins $76,000 180 -62%
Grand Junction $64,000 40 -81%
Greeley $80,000 60 -79%

Connecticut

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bridgeport $95,000 1,940 +8%
Danbury $79,000 140 -47%
Hartford $84,000 5,130 +113%
New Haven $70,000 760 -33%
Norwich $87,000 600 +23%
Waterbury $72,000 70 -73%

Delaware

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Dover $71,000 220 +10%
Wilmington $84,000 2,700 +100%

District of Columbia

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Washington $94,000 28,030 +189%

Florida

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Cape Coral $80,000 300 -64%
Deltona $53,000 260 -58%
Fort Lauderdale $63,000 2,360 -23%
Fort Walton Beach $65,000 280 -2%
Gainesville $61,000 160 -64%
Jacksonville $69,000 2,180 -13%
Lakeland $63,000 260 -67%
Miami $68,000 2,290 -45%
Naples $68,000 100 -79%
Ocala $49,000 80 -78%
Orlando $73,000 3,570 -18%
Palm Bay $70,000 670 -15%
Panama City 290 +13%
Pensacola $53,000 310 -48%
Port St Lucie $59,000 120 -76%
Sarasota $63,000 420 -61%
Tallahassee $59,000 990 +53%
Tampa $73,000 4,620 -9%
West Palm Beach $76,000 1,620 -27%

Georgia

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Albany $61,000 70 -69%
Athens $65,000 180 -36%
Atlanta $84,000 18,020 +81%
Augusta $62,000 370 -55%
Columbus $71,000 440 +4%
Dalton $64,000 590 +103%
Gainesville $71,000 60 -77%
Macon $50,000 180 -53%
Rome $48,000 90 -29%
Savannah $60,000 340 -43%
Valdosta $58,000 30 -85%

Hawaii

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Honolulu $66,000 980 -46%

Idaho

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Boise $72,000 530 -52%
Coeur Dalene $60,000 50 -75%
Idaho Falls $55,000 80 -53%
Pocatello $81,000 40 -61%

Illinois

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bloomington $93,000 950 +260%
Champaign $69,000 70 -81%
Chicago $81,000 12,330 -23%
Decatur $72,000 50 -70%
Kankakee $70,000 30 -77%
Peoria $73,000 250 -63%
Rockford $69,000 80 -87%
Springfield $79,000 990 +149%

Indiana

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Columbus $73,000 210 +39%
Elkhart $78,000 120 -76%
Evansville $68,000 270 -61%
Fort Wayne $65,000 510 -40%
Gary $67,000 270 -76%
Indianapolis $72,000 3,370 -10%
Lafayette $62,000 130 -54%
Muncie $63,000 70 -57%
South Bend $65,000 380 -29%
Terre Haute $57,000 50 -81%

Iowa

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Ames $63,000 250 +87%
Cedar Rapids $65,000 490 -7%
Davenport $77,000 620 -16%
Des Moines $72,000 3,320 +148%
Dubuque $51,000 60 -68%
Iowa City $58,000 140 -48%
Sioux City $74,000 110 -59%
Waterloo $58,000 100 -69%

Kansas

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Topeka $66,000 330 -23%
Wichita $62,000 700 -44%

Kentucky

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Elizabethtown $66,000 80 -48%
Lexington $73,000 980 0%
Louisville $66,000 1,660 -35%

Louisiana

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Alexandria $51,000 50 -77%
Baton Rouge $52,000 1,840 +22%
Houma $54,000 40 -89%
Lafayette $58,000 140 -76%
Lake Charles $55,000 80 -76%
Monroe $43,000 140 -53%
New Orleans $61,000 740 -65%
Shreveport $65,000 130 -81%

Maine

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bangor $60,000 90 -62%
Lewiston $57,000 80 -55%
Portland $76,000 870 +7%

Maryland

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Baltimore $87,000 4,880 -10%
Bethesda $90,000 5,570 +135%
Hagerstown $61,000 150 -61%
Salisbury $65,000 60 -69%

Massachusetts

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Barnstable Town $68,000 70 -82%
Boston $90,000 12,270 +70%
Brockton $70,000 80 -76%
Framingham $85,000 990 +53%
Haverhill $82,000 190 -35%
Lawrence $79,000 120 -43%
Leominster $92,000 50 -72%
Lowell $93,000 970 +105%
New Bedford $80,000 30 -88%
Pittsfield $83,000 40 -65%
Springfield $75,000 510 -58%
Taunton $79,000 40 -76%
Worcester $76,000 860 -15%

Michigan

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Ann Arbor $72,000 720 +9%
Bay City $74,000 70 -42%
Detroit $88,000 5,020 +70%
Grand Rapids $65,000 700 -55%
Holland $68,000 170 -57%
Jackson $71,000 120 -37%
Kalamazoo $64,000 440 -18%
Lansing $69,000 550 -29%
Niles $68,000 70 -70%
Saginaw $66,000 200 -30%
Warren $78,000 5,950 +23%

Minnesota

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Duluth $62,000 170 -66%
Minneapolis $75,000 9,640 +29%
Rochester $81,000 420 +18%
St Cloud $68,000 130 -67%

Mississippi

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Gulfport $57,000 170 -60%
Jackson $60,000 580 -44%
Pascagoula $61,000 60 -65%

Missouri

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Columbia $64,000 170 -45%
Jefferson City $66,000 230 -10%
Joplin $53,000 70 -77%
Kansas City $70,000 6,330 +47%
Springfield $65,000 180 -77%
St Louis $75,000 6,190 +9%

Montana

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Billings $64,000 90 -71%
Missoula $66,000 50 -73%

Nebraska

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Lincoln $61,000 410 -37%
Omaha $69,000 2,300 +20%

Nevada

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Las Vegas $72,000 1,350 -65%
Reno $68,000 480 -43%

New Hampshire

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Manchester $97,000 530 +31%
Nashua $85,000 590 +8%
Rochester $67,000 320 +54%

New Jersey

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Atlantic City $77,000 230 -61%
Camden $78,000 1,970 -10%
Edison $92,000 7,900 +83%
Newark $96,000 4,710 +12%
Trenton $83,000 1,740 +101%
Vineland $80,000 30 -86%

New Mexico

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Albuquerque $78,000 780 -51%
Santa Fe $51,000 190 -19%

New York

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Albany $70,000 1,480 -18%
Binghamton 220 -47%
Buffalo $72,000 1,310 -41%
Glens Falls 100 -48%
Ithaca $69,000 100 -34%
Kingston $64,000 40 -82%
Nassau $84,000 2,360 -55%
New York $92,000 25,590 +19%
Poughkeepsie $89,000 1,180 +22%
Rochester $69,000 2,220 +7%
Syracuse $69,000 580 -54%
Utica $71,000 340 -32%

North Carolina

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Asheville $63,000 190 -73%
Burlington $71,000 170 -22%
Charlotte $77,000 4,870 +32%
Durham $82,000 3,750 +237%
Fayetteville $59,000 140 -71%
Greensboro $82,000 1,220 -20%
Greenville $62,000 140 -48%
Hickory $58,000 120 -81%
Raleigh $74,000 2,730 +29%
Rocky Mount $59,000 90 -58%
Wilmington $67,000 120 -79%
Winston Salem $75,000 920 +6%

North Dakota

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bismarck $60,000 100 -51%
Fargo $58,000 710 +57%

Ohio

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Akron $65,000 830 -40%
Canton $59,000 360 -48%
Cincinnati $77,000 3,870 -11%
Cleveland $72,000 2,580 -42%
Columbus $80,000 4,770 +22%
Dayton $75,000 1,390 -14%
Lima $63,000 40 -79%
Mansfield $64,000 50 -74%
Springfield $67,000 90 -47%
Toledo $65,000 450 -65%
Youngstown $69,000 390 -59%

Oklahoma

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Lawton $54,000 40 -69%
Oklahoma City $60,000 1,490 -36%
Tulsa $71,000 1,540 -15%

Oregon

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bend $69,000 60 -77%
Corvallis $68,000 50 -53%
Eugene $64,000 550 -7%
Medford $61,000 60 -81%
Portland $77,000 3,360 -22%
Salem $70,000 160 -73%

Pennsylvania

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Allentown $62,000 1,000 -28%
Altoona $82,000 170 -23%
Erie $61,000 210 -57%
Harrisburg $72,000 2,650 +105%
Johnstown $55,000 80 -61%
Lancaster $63,000 390 -59%
Philadelphia $88,000 9,450 +20%
Pittsburgh $69,000 4,680 -2%
Reading $67,000 320 -51%
Scranton $69,000 710 -32%
Williamsport $58,000 70 -62%
York $67,000 260 -64%

Rhode Island

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Providence $87,000 1,570 -33%

South Carolina

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Charleston $62,000 810 -32%
Columbia $62,000 1,520 +5%
Florence $55,000 150 -53%
Greenville $71,000 1,560 +25%
Myrtle Beach $63,000 80 -83%
Spartanburg $77,000 300 -38%

South Dakota

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Rapid City $62,000 30 -87%
Sioux Falls $64,000 340 -37%

Tennessee

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Chattanooga $67,000 520 -45%
Clarksville $55,000 300 +6%
Cleveland $47,000 50 -60%
Johnson City $47,000 80 -71%
Kingsport $48,000 220 -51%
Knoxville $65,000 890 -35%
Memphis $67,000 1,230 -52%
Nashville $61,000 1,990 -37%

Texas

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Abilene $48,000 50 -78%
Amarillo $62,000 160 -58%
Austin $74,000 6,880 +117%
Beaumont $68,000 290 -54%
Brownsville $48,000 100 -79%
College Station $65,000 270 -7%
Corpus Christi $67,000 200 -72%
Dallas $81,000 14,900 +69%
El Paso $63,000 680 -37%
Fort Worth $75,000 3,010 -16%
Houston $78,000 11,260 +4%
Killeen $68,000 450 -3%
Laredo $58,000 50 -84%
Longview $59,000 90 -75%
Lubbock $51,000 270 -43%
Mcallen $48,000 130 -85%
Midland $60,000 60 -76%
Odessa $66,000 70 -66%
San Angelo $59,000 80 -44%
San Antonio $66,000 3,040 -13%
Texarkana $51,000 30 -85%
Tyler $63,000 110 -68%
Waco $48,000 200 -46%
Wichita Falls $54,000 60 -72%

Utah

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Logan $55,000 80 -51%
Ogden $64,000 320 -60%
Provo $69,000 320 -51%
Salt Lake City $67,000 1,710 -34%

Vermont

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Burlington $78,000 280 -34%

Virginia

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Blacksburg $71,000 210 -7%
Charlottesville $65,000 750 +110%
Harrisonburg $78,000 100 -49%
Lynchburg $57,000 210 -46%
Richmond $79,000 4,470 +80%
Roanoke $64,000 400 -36%
Virginia Beach $69,000 3,280 +4%
Winchester $72,000 70 -63%

Washington

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bellingham $61,000 110 -63%
Bremerton $81,000 220 -30%
Kennewick $77,000 360 +6%
Longview $67,000 40 -65%
Mount Vernon $65,000 40 -75%
Olympia $78,000 190 -47%
Seattle $85,000 9,190 +53%
Spokane $71,000 550 -35%
Tacoma $70,000 620 -43%
Wenatchee $79,000 50 -64%
Yakima $76,000 70 -77%

West Virginia

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Charleston $66,000 190 -67%
Huntington $60,000 90 -80%
Parkersburg $73,000 40 -85%
Weirton $76,000 80 -46%
Wheeling $60,000 100 -57%

Wisconsin

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Appleton $63,000 310 -30%
Eau Claire $72,000 140 -51%
Green Bay $62,000 550 -17%
Janesville $63,000 60 -75%
La Crosse $61,000 140 -45%
Madison $64,000 2,030 +49%
Milwaukee $69,000 4,200 +19%
Oshkosh $69,000 320 +0%
Racine $70,000 120 -59%
Sheboygan $64,000 220 +6%
Wausau $64,000 280 +12%

Wyoming

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Casper $57,000 60 -55%
Cheyenne $49,000 160 +4%
*FOOTNOTES: Job Facts salary and numbers data is based on US Department of Labor Statistics data for 2011. Other data on page may be from earlier years. Typical salary is given as median salary, where 50% in the job make more and 50% less. Salary range is Job Hunt's estimates of typical starting salary as being at the 10th percentile of reported pay and typical top end salary, for the most senior workers, as being at the 90th. Job openings is an estimate of new jobs every year due to growth plus those leaving the field. Where NA is given data is not available. Suggested studies is based on Job Hunt research, suggesting a minimum degree level that is judged to offer the best opportunities for entry-level employment. This Systems Analysts schools and career page was originally researched by CityTownInfo.com.